Amtrak to own, operate new $26.5 million train station

An agreement has been reached to allow the National Passenger Railroad Corp.—commonly known as Amtrak—to own and operate Rochester’s $26.5 million train station, officials said Monday.

The state Department of Transportation will oversee the design and construction of the facility at 320 Central Ave., officials said.

The intermodal transportation center will be funded primarily by a $15 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

The project will get $7.5 million in state funding and $500,000 from the city of Rochester to fund the $23 million construction, officials said. NYSDOT and the FRA are funding $3.5 million in engineering and environmental work.

The existing station served more than 144,000 passengers in Amtrak’s fiscal year ending Sept. 30, an 89 percent increase from 2007, officials said.

“The grand new facility will serve as a gateway for our Empire Corridor passengers and enhances our ability to provide improved reliability and accessibility across the state,” NYSDOT president and CEO Joseph Boardman said in a statement.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Perinton, will join representatives of Amtrak and NYSDOT on the project steering committee.

“I want this station built soon and well, and by our local labor force, and I will continue to provide leadership throughout this process,” Slaughter said in the statement.